Semiautomatic trip for power shovels



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LSQ/fizg G.` G. MQRIN v .SEMIAUTOMATIC TRIP FOR POWER SHOVELS Filed July5, 1925 @sheetgywsheei 1f www ` WITNESSES A {NVENTOR ATTORNEYS y G.@MORIN l l SEMIAUTOMATIC TRIP FOR lPOWER sHovELs Filed July e, 1925' 4sheets-sheet l ATTORNEYS w/ u, wv R O m w IN. 1,

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.G. G.- MoRlN lsIJMIAUTOI'WLIc TRIP FOR POWER SHOVELS Fild July d, 1925Patented Aug.' 3, 1926.

rre sTATEsflP-ATENT OFFICE..

GEORGE G-EDEON MORIN, OF HQLYOKE, MASSAHUSETTS. i

STlMAUTOMATIC TRIP FOR POWER SHOVELS.

Application filed July 6, 1925. Serial No. 41,744.

at any time through the movement ot' the` lever.

'lhe'object oi? thc/invention is to provide a trip for power shovelswhich maybe actix-ated at any time through the manipula tion of thelever associated with the. control lever ofthe shovel. i l

Another object oi the invention is to pro-v vide a semi-automatic tripwhich is power.

operated and which is controlled through a lever structure near theoperator of the shovel.

A further object, more specifically, is to, provide a semi-automatictrip wherein steam or other power means may be used to cause the trip tobe actuated and manuallyactuated. structures positioned to be moved fromthe operators stand whereby the steam or other power is turned on andoil.

ln the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is side view of part of a steamshovel with certain parts broken away, thereA being an embodiment of theinvention applied to the shovel.A .v

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan. view ot the steampower member shown'in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through Figure 2` approximately on line3-3.

Figure 4 is a view similar to the lett hand portion of Figure 3 butshowing the parts lin a different position.

Figure 5 is a front View ot the structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is ya plan view of the rack carry` ing plate shown in Figures 2and 3.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the shovel and associated'parts shownin Fgure l.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary front view of the power control lever andassociated parts shown in Figuresl and 2.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan view ot a trip operating mechanism,disclosing a modified form of the invention.

10 is sectional view through Figure 9 on line lil-10.

'right or left.

As indicated in Figure 1, the invention has been shown applied to asteam shovel of awell known type. The shovel shown is provided with acab l mounted on a suit-able supporting structure 2 to which the beam 3is pivotally connected so as to swing up wardly andY downwardly and alsotothe (lo-acting with the beam 3 is a member 4 'carrying ashovelV 5. Theshovel 5 is provided with a bottom 6 hav ing a bolt 7 of usualconstruction, which bolt is pivotally connected withV an arm 8 pivotallymounted at 9. Heretofore, a, rope was connected to one end of the arm 8and was manually pulled at the proper time for releasing the bolt 7. Inthe present inven tion, however, the chain 10 is connected at 11 to arm8, said chain at the opposite end being connected at 12 to a lever 13. Acable 14 is connected with lever V13 at 15, said cable passing oversuitable guiding pulleys 1G and finally around the 'drum to vwhich oneend is secured. The'drnm 17 as hereinafter fully described is adapted toreadily i pay out or release cable 14 as shovel 5 .is moved outwardly ordownwardly. The

drum 17 is also adapted to automatically wind the cable 14 when there isany slack -so that the cable will be maintained under a certain tensionat all times. To positively prevent this tension from causing the bolt 7to`be moved, the-spring 18 is provided, connected at one end to arm 13and at the other to some part of the shovel.

As indicated in Figures 2, 3 and 5, drum 17 is rigidly secured to a drumshaft 19, which shaft extends through suitable bearthen over a pulley 24so that the weight.

25 acting on the cable may maintain the same taut. The weight 25 alsoacts'as a power member-for rotating drum 22, shaft 19 and drum 17whenever tl: are is any slack in cable 14 whereby the cable 14 will bemaintained wound on its drum; The power of the weight 25, however, isnot suiiicient to put enough tension on cable 14 to cause the same totrip the bottom of the Shovel 5. By this construction and arrangement,

with the piston 3G positioned in the cylinder for tripping `the bucket.The drum and cable arrangement permit the manual controlling member tobe disposed within the covered cab of the'excavating machine, and avoidsthef necessity for using'ylieavy and ponderous linkage such asisemployed with the usual typesy ot automatic trips if the lattei arecontrolled from the cab. l

The power means forl rotatingl the drum 17 is shown more particularlyinFigures 2 to 5 inclusive. As indicated' in the drawing, the rack 26co-acts with therratcliet wheel 21 to rotate the ratchet wheel andassociated parts wheneverthe rackvhas been moved under the action ofsteam. It will be noted that the Arack 26 is connected to plate .27 by anumber of bolts 28 which extend through suitable slots 29 near each end'of the plate 27, said slots extending loiigitudi-- nally of-theplatewhereby the plate 1s permitted a'short movement before r'ack 26 ismoved. This is to prevent the' sudden shock caused -by rack `26 strikingthe teeth of ratchet wheel 21. In order to providea satisfactorycushioning etiect, spring 301is ,pro-A vided. lThis spring'is held inposition by the bolt 31 carried by the bracket 32 and 33. 'llie bracket32 is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to plate 27 while the bracket33 extends through the 4comparatively large aperture 34 and is bolted orriveted to the rack 26.` Onepend of the plate 27 is connected withapiston rod 35, which piston rod 'is connected in "any approved ymanner37. lVhcn steam is admitted through the ,pipe 3S, piston l36 will bemoved to the left as shown in Figure 3 and this will move-piston rod 35and plate 27. The movement of plate 27 will compress spring 3Q and asthe tension increases on spring 30 itwill move liracket'f'land rack 2Guntil rack 26 is engaging the teeth ofthe ratchet wlicel21'. A continuedmovement of the piston 36 will muse the rack to quickly move out to theilofteti 'position shown in IFigure/4. However, the action of;transmitting' the -power through spring 30 causesthefra-clt to-strike'the ratchet wheel 21 with a ciishioii'blow and thereby ,causes theratchet wheel andassowhiclip'a' rapid movement is produced for windingthe cable 14 on' tlie drum 17. lThe quick winding ot the cable .in this`mannerthat the'itwo drum ar-A l ,shovel 5. ciated partsto be startedslowly, after ,Y

will cause lever 13 (Figure 1) andasseciated parts to be actuated forwithdrawing bolt 7. i

After the shovel has been dumped, pipe 38 is opened to the atmosphereand, consequently, 'the springs 39 and 40 willl quickly act to move theparts back tothe osition shown 4'in Figure 3 While'the usua mechanism`for .closing the shovel functions toA producethat result. As indicatedin Figure 2, live steam is, continually in the pipe 41 so that when the.parts are in the position shown in Figure 2, pipe 38 is .in freecomvinunication with the flexible -pipe 42, which flexible pipe is,connected with the valve casing 43 and disch'argesdinto the passage-way44, which inturn discharges through the passageway 45 to the outletopening 46. A valve member '47 is arranged in casingv43, said valvemember having the passage-ways 44 and' 45 formed therein. A cable 48 isconnected to valve member 47 and when this cable is pulled,passageway-45 will be moved over until it connects the pipe 49 with thepipe 41 whereupon live steam will immediately pass into the flexiblepipe 42 and through pipe 38 into the cylinder 37. When the cable 48 isreleased, the 'springs 50 will function to movethe .valve member 44 backto lits former position as shown in Figure 2. It willbe noted that thesprings 50 are connected to suitable ,fixed points vand toa cross bar 51connectedwith the valve member47.

lIt will also b e noted that the springs 39and 40 are connected to soinefixed object at one end and' at the opposite end are connected-toprojecting members 39 and 40 secured to the plate 27. The cable 48, asshown in Figure 8, extends around'the pulley 52 and upwardly to arm 53,'which' arm is rigidly see'uredto the hinged section 54 of the lever 55.-lt will be noted that the hinge section 54 is rigidly connected at .56tolever 45, the

structure beingr such that when .the lever is moved town-rd or away fromthe observer as -thelever is used in Figure 8, section 54 will 'move onthe lever 55 but when section 54 is swung at right angles as shown indotted los lines in Figure 8, lever 55 may be main- A tained stationary.It is to be ,understood that lever'55 Ais-the usual lever now in commonuse on/power shovelswherebygthe shovel mechanism is caused vto functioninthe devsired manner. From the description it will' noted tliattheoperator maystand near lever 55 and withoutshifting his position'mayactuate section 54 whereupon-cable 48v will be pulled. This will resultin the drum 17 and associated parts performing their usual function forreleasing the bttom of the By shifting the section 54 back to its formerposition in alignment with the lever 55, drinn 17 and associated partswill be released and the bottom of shovel perinittcd to again moveto a'closed position.

ien

lt will also be noted that by the use of drum 17 and associated parts,including weight 27 and cable 23, the rope or cable 14 is main-4pecially when the latch has become jammed or rusted under the severeconditions of use and abuse to which the dippers are ordinarilysubjected. V

ln Figures 9 and 10 will be seen a modified form of the invention whichis capable of use on other forms of power shovels besides'those operatedby steam. In the construction shown in Figures 1 to 8 inclusive, theparts have been designed particularly for use on steam shovels but inthe form shown in Figures 9 and 10, the device may be used on asliovebhaving as its principalv power element a gasoline engine or.electric motor. When either ofthese two power elements are used, certainparts are continually rotating and the chain 57 is operatively connectedwith one of the rotating parts so that it will be continually moving.This chain is fitted onto a. sprocket wheel 58 so that as the chaincontinually moves, sprocket Wheel 58 will -continue lto move. Thissprocket wheel is rigidly secured to a shaft 59 supported in suitablejournal members 60 and (il. A clutch member 62 is keyed or otherwiserigidly secured to the shaft 59 and continually operates therewith, saidclutch member co-acting with a second clutch member G3 formed integralwith or rigidly secured to a drum64-which in turn is rigidly secured toor formed integral with the drum ($5. These drums and clutch member 63are all loosely mounted on shaft 59. It will be noted from Figurey 10that shaft 59 at one end is provided with a central bore and alsoprovided with slots 66 and 67 through which a key 68 extends. Thepressure member or shaft (i9 is loosely mounted in the bore 7 0 of shaft59, said pressure member or shaft beinf; threaded at 71, said threadedportion into a threaded hub 72 of a suitable bracket 7 An arm 74 isrigidly secured to the shaft 69 and is normally held in a given positionby a spring 75. However, whenever the section 54 oflever 55 is moved' tothe dotted position shown in Figure 8, cable et* il be pulled and arm 5ewill be swung "ainst the action of spring 75, said niet nt beingsufficient to cause the threaded portions 71 to move shaft 69 over asufficient distance to shift the pulleys64 and and clutch member 63 sothat this clutch member will operatively engage or clutch the clutchmembers 62 whereby the pulleys 64 and 65 will rotate with shaft 59. Assoon. vas the section 54'li'as been released, spring 75 will quicklyrotate shaft 69 so as to relieve the pressure thereon and immediatelythe clutch members 62 and 63 will become disengaged so that the pulleyswill stop, though the clutch member 62, shaft 9 and sprocket wheel 58will continue to rotate. In this construction, by shifting the arm 7 Lland as- `sociated parts, the drums are connected or disconnected .withthe power. The drums Gil and 65 function in a similar manner to drums 22and 17 in the preferred form of the invention. When the parts areproperly functioning, spring 18 not only acts to prevetaccidentaldisengagement of the catch or bolt 7 but also :acts to pull the tripcable 14 back to its former position after each time the shovel has beentripped. This aotio'n in pulling the cable 14 naturally causes the drums17 and 22 to be rotated to a cer tain extent. l

lVhat I claim is: y'

l. A lsemi-automatic trip for power.

shovels, including a tripping mechanism having atripping cable, a drumon which said cable. is adapted to be wound, a second drum, a shaft onwhich thetwo drums are fixed, a cable connected with said second drumand adapted to be wound thereon, a weight acting on said second cablefor holding the same under tension and for rotating both of said drumsfor maintaining the first mentioned cable under tension, power meansengageahle with the shaft intermediate the drums for rotating the latterfor causing said tripping mechanism to function, and a manuallyactuated, member for controlling said power means.

2. In a semi-automatic trip. lfor powerv shovels, a tripping cable, adrum, a drum shaft thereon 'adapted to wind said tripping cable to causethe same to function, a second drum thereon, means acting on the seconddrum for causing the first drum to vtake up -the slack in said cable,and hand controlled power means for 'actuating the drum shaft to causesaid cable to pro-duce a tripping action. 1 l

3. In a semi-automatic trip for power shovels, a trip cable, a drumvforwinding said trip cable so as to cause the same to function, a ratchetwheel connected with said drum, a rack adapted to rotate said ratchetwheel, a power member for actuating said rack, means associated with therack for cushioning the blow of the'rack against the ratchet wheel whenthe same is first engaged, and manually operated means for controllingsai-d power member.

4. ln a semiautomatic trip for power shovels, a tripping jeable,'a drumfor Winding said tripping` cable to cause the 'seme to Jfuiicti-on, aratchet wheel Secured to said drum, a rack normally out of engagementwith saicl ratchet wheel, si power member for moving vseid rack in toengagement with said ratchet wheelancl continuing the movement until theratchet wheel'ha's been 'rota-ted.r

suiciently tocausel the drumH to wind said cable until it functions, aspringr connection interpoel'ed between ysaid power member and said rackwhereby the ruck yieldingly engagesA the ratchetwheel upon its first enJ gugement, and manually operated means for controlling said powermember.

5. Inl u semnautomatio trip for power shovels having a swinging controllever adapted to swing back and. forth in a Certain plane, a trippingcable; odrum for.' actuating said trippingcable, means includinga'powermember for actuating'sald drum und means for controlling saidpower me1nber,'said last mentioned means-including "a -lever memberpivotally mounted, en the tirstjmentloned lever andfwtin-g es .a sectionthereof, said lever member when. functioning independ ently swinging ineplane at right angles to vthe first-mentioned lever, a cable connectedto said lever member and pulled thereby, and means -for returningsaidcable when released.v l,

6'. The combination with :in excavating machine including a boom, uclipper and a latch icorpopeniiig the clipper, of semi-auto- 'matictripmechanism for operating the with the ratchet wheel to rotate they drumsand positlvelyeleuse the latch and manually operable mee-.ns forcontrolling the power actuated rack. f y

GERGE GEDEON MORN.

